Machine for securing together two or more pieces of sheet material



B. F. MAYO MACHINE FOR ECURING TOGETHER TWO OR MORE PIECES OF SHEET MATERIAL Filed July 1921 'ing edges of Patented Nov. 12, 1929 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE BENJAMIN F. MAYO, DECEASED, LATE on SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, BY ETTA MAYO;

EXECUTBIX, OF SALEM; MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY MACHINE SECURING TOGETHE-It TWO OR IIIORE PIECES OF SHEET MATERIAL Application filed July 2, 1921. Serial 110,482,189.

The invention relates to machines for securing to ether two or more piecesof sheet material, such as the parts ofa shoe upper.

It is essential to the correct appearance of the finished shoe that the parts of the upper be accurately assembled in predetermined relation to each other and that the scams or lines of securing devices which permanently secure the assembled partstogether be accurately located with relation to the edge of one or more of the parts. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide mechanism by which these results may be secured without the exercise of the care and skill required in the manual manipulation usually employed in stitching together the parts of the shoe upper. To this end the invention contemplates the provision of means whereby a plurality of partsmay be accurately assembled in predetermined relation to each other, and means for retaining them in assembled relation while they are presented to a mechanism for inserting a series of fastenings the path of travel of which along the work is determined by the edge of one of the parts. By these means the parts are accurately held in proper relation to each other during the insertion of the fastenings and the insertion of the fastenings in proper relation to the edge or edges of the parts is insured regardless of variations which unavoidably occureven between the correspond pieces which are supposedly duplicates.

While the invention is of more general application it"may be utilized with especial advantage in sewing together the vamp andtoe pieces of a shoe since the accurate assembling of these parts and the accurate location of the seam or seams with relation to the edge of the toe tip is of special importance. The invention has accordingly been embodied in a machine for doing this class of work and is shown in the drawing applied to the machine for sewing Vamps and tips shown and clescribed in application Serial No. 277,083, dated February 14, 1919, on which Patent No. 1,569,232 issued January 12, 1926.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine embodying a preferred form of the invention, Fig. 2 isa partial plan View of the work carrier, Fig. 3 is a detail view of the work holder, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the work holder on line 4, Fig. 2 showing also the presser foot of the sewing mechanism provided with an edge gage for the edge of the toe tip.

The machine shown comprises a sewing mechanism, a work support provided with means for accurately'positioning the parts assembled thereon in predetermined relation .to each other, a. work carried by which the.

assembled parts are presented to the sewing mechanism. and means whereby the path of travel of the sewing mechanism along the work is controlled and determined by the edge of the toe tip so that the line or lines of Stitching are parallel to the edge of the tip.

" The work support is in the form of a table 2 upon which the vamp and toe tip pieces are supported and are accurately located and held in predetermined relation to each other and to the table by gage pins 4 adapted to pass through holes made in the forward marginal portion of the vamp pieces and in the rear marginal portion of the toe tip pieces near the lateral edges of the pieces. To permit the pins to be adjusted for diflerent spacing of holes, such as will occur in the Vamps and toe tips for different sizes and styles of shoes, the pins are carriedby blocks 6 which may be moved toward and from each other by a screw rod 8. Thetable is mounted on a transversely adjustable slide 10 and may be adjusted forward or back by an adjusting screw 12. The slide may be adjusted transversely by the screw 14:.

The work carrier 16 is pivotally mounted at 18 on a supporting arm 20 which is fixed to the upper end of a vertical rockshaft 22. The carrier is guided during its swinging movement by a shifting fulcrum in the form parts are in line so that the line of travel of the stitch forming mechanism with relation to the carrier will be in an are whi h is approximately circular and the radius of which will depend upon the adjustment of the fulcrum 26 with relation to the rockshalt By adjustment or the slide 10 and stud 26 the swinging movement of the carrier may be adjusted to secure a line of travel of the stitch forming mechanism which corresponds closely to the edge of the toe tip of any size or style or" shoe.

In order that the line of relative travel of the stitch forming mechanism may be exactly parall l to the edge of the toe tip presented to thesew-ing mechanism by theswinging movement of (he carrier work'holder for holding the assembled vai nd toe tip'pieces is mounted to yield on the ca :rier and to maintain the edge of the toe tip against an edge gage on the sewing mechanism during the sewing together of the pieces. As shown the work holder comprises a plate 34 pivoted at 36 to the under side of the carrier and acted on by a spring 38 which tends tohold a stop pin {l0 on .the holder in engagement ,with a stop screw 422.011 the carrier. Theunder side of the work holder plate is provided with a series of suction grooves dd for holding the vamp pieces in place on thework holder and a series of suction grooves 46 for holding .toe tip pieces in place on the holder and these grooves are connected by a passage 48 with a passage 50 in the pivot stud ,36 for the plate.

The passage 50 is connected by a passage 52 formed in the carrier with a passage 5% in thepivot 18 and this passage is in turn connected by a passage 56 inthe'arm 20 with a passage 58 in the rock shaft 22. The passage 58 is connected through a pipe 6O with a suction fan or pump. lhe suction a the holding grooves 4d and {i6 is controlled by a valve lever 62 which is normally held by a spring 64; in position to closethe upper end of the passage 54 but which may be turned to bring a port 66 in the lever into register with the passage and with a hole in the overlying plate 68 and thus destroy or break the suction at the holding grooves.

A weight 70 is connected with the rockshaft 22 by a cord 72 which is wound around the rockshaft so that the weight tends to swing the carrier in a direction to present the parts transferred thereto from the work supporting table to the sewing mechanism.

The carrier is swung intoposition above the table by the operator after the vamp and tip pieces have been placed thereon and accurately positioned with relation to each-other 1 by the pins 4. The table then rises,nressing the vamp and tip against the under surface of the work holder plate by which they are held securely in assembled relation. The pins are then withdrawn and the table lowered so that the carrier is free to swing under the influence o1 the weight 70 in a direction to present the overlapping edges of the vamp and tip pieces to the sewing mechanism when the carrier is released by the operator. When the carrier is swung into position above the work supporting table an arm 7st which projects from the pivot stuc 36 of the work holder strikes the overhanging arm 30 and swings the work holder back slightly with relation to the carrier, moving the stop pin 40 away from the stop screw 42. When the carrier swings forward after the vamp and tip pieces have been transferred to the work holder the arm 74? moves away from the overhanging arm 30 so that the stop pin i0 is brought intoengagement with the stop-screw 42 by the action of the spring 38. This the assembled vamp and tip pieces into such position on the carrier that the edge of the tip is slightly inclined to the line of relative travel of the sewing mechanism with relation to the carrier, thus insuring the constant engagement of the edge of the tip with the edge gage 76 which is formed on the under side i the presser foot 78 of the sewing mechanism. By the swinging movement of the carrier the overlapping edges of the vamp and tip are brought under the presser foot of the sewing mechanism and the leading end of the edge of the :toe tip is brought against the edge gage 7-6. During the sewing the work is acted upon by the feed ing devices of the sewing mechanism while the parts are firmly held in assembled re lation and their general path of movement determined by the swinging movement of the carrier. The actual path of movement of the parts ith relation to the sewing mechanism is determined and controlled, however, by the engagement of the edge of the toe tip with the edge gage 76, the spring 38 which acts on the work holder serving to press the edge of the tip against the gage and yielding to per. mit the forward teed and travel of the work. As the seam is completed the suction con.- trolling lever "2 strikes the controlling lever 80 of the sewing mechanism and is shifted to break the suction so that the united vamp and tip pieces are released and removed from the work support.

The starting and stopping ofthe sewing mechanism is controlled through devices care 'lif broader features of the invention and may be varied or modified as found desirable or best suited to the construction and mode of operation of the machine in which the inven-' tion is to be embodied.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a sewing mechanism and means for holding vamp and toe tip pieces in assembled relation with their edges overlapping relatively movable to present the overlapping edges to the sewing mechanism, and means for determining the line of operation of the sewing mechanism along the overlapping edges by the contour of the edge of the toe tip piece.

2. A machine of the class described having,

in combination, a fastening mechanism hav ing an edge gage and a work holder-provided with means for holding a plurality of pieces of sheet material in assembled relation relatively movable to transfer the point of opera tion of the fastening mechanism along the work, and means for maintaining the edge of one of the pieces in engagement with the edge gage during the operation of the fastening mechanism along the work.

3. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a fastening'mechanism having an edge gage, a work holder provided with means for holding a plurality of pieces of sheet material in assembled relation, and a carrier on which the holder is mounted to yield to maintain the edge of one of the pieces in engagement with the edge gage during the operation of the fastening mechanism.

4:. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a sewing mechanism having an edge gage, a work holder provided with means for holding vamp and toe tip pieces in assembled relation, and mechanism for relatively operating the sewing mechanism and work holder to maintain the edge of a toe tip piece in engagement with the edge gage during the operation of the sewing mechanism.

5. A machine of the class described having, in combination, sewing mechanism having an edge gage, a work carrier mounted to carry the work with relation to the sewing mecha nism in a curved path corresponding approximately to the edge of a toe tip piece, and a work holder for holding vamp and toe tip pieces mounted on the carrier to yield and maintain the edge of a toe tip piece against the edge gage.

6. A machine of the class described having, in combination, means for holding assembled vamp and toe tip pieces in proper rela tion to be secured together, mechanism for securing together the assembled pieces, and

means for determining the line of operation of the securing mechanism by the contour of the edge of a toe tip piece.

7. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a sewing mechanism, a carrier adapted to support vamp and toe tip pieces in assembled relation with their edges overlapping, means for moving the carrier to present the assembled pieces to the sewing mechanism, mechanism for relatively moving the sewing mechanism and assembled pieces to sew a seam alongthe overlapping edges of the pieces and for determining the location of the seam by the contour of the edge of a toe tip piece.

8. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a carrier, means for assembling'on the carrier vamp anad toe tip pieces with their edges overlapping, a sewing mechanism to which the assembled blanks are presented'by the carrier, and means for locating the seam during the sewing by the edge of a toe tip piece. I

9. A machine of the class described having, in combination, a carrier, gages for determining the position of vamp and toe tip pieces with relation to each other and to the carrier, a sewing mechanism to which the assembled pieces are presented by the carrier, and means for locating the seam during the sewing by the edge of a toe tip piece.

10. A machine of the class described having, in combination, gages adapted to engage perforations in pieces of sheet material to determine the relation of assembled pieces to each other, a fastening inserting mechanism, and means for holding the pieces in assembled relation and guiding them by the edge of one of the pieces during the insertion of the fas- Mag 0, Deceased. 

